A rant about the company that made me redundant
Redundant is apparently how people in Britain, or in its former colonies in which people speak with an accent different than mine, refer to people who have been laid off. Since they are redundant, i.e., unnecessarily repetitive, the cure is to eliminate them. Sort of like having two photocopiers when you only need one. Here’s an example of the usage, from Australia.
To an IT professional, such as myself, redundancy is a good thing. It makes systems less susceptible to failure (even if components fail).
I hate the way these Britishisms permeate the atmosphere at my company.
The Britishisms started after our acquisition from State Street in February, 2002. The Friday before the acquisition, we were normal. The Monday following the acquisition, emails and phonecalls ended with “cheers.” ICK.
The only real “insiders” are from England or Australia, but mostly England. A smarter person might have realized the company has little commitment to its operations in the USA.
I can’t wait for my last paycheck to clear, so I can mention the name of the dysfunctional mess that employs me, especially since I will not be bound by the severance agreement not to do so (since I have no intention of signing the severance agreement).
Maybe tomorrow if I’m bored I’ll give you some more details about the problems with the severance agreement, the company’s intent not to honor their own language, and the shame of the 30% of my 2004 bonus that was withheld to foster “employee retention” and which they won’t pay out unless I stay until February 28. I think the prudent thing to do was find a job as soon as possible, rather than rely on the severance, and that’s what I did. Since I am “redundant,” I’d think a menschlikhkeit company wouldn’t withhold the money I earned two years ago, but let’s remember what we’re dealing with here. I did point out today that my new company has domestic partner benefits (which these homobphobes refuse to do) and still manages to be profitable.